Green workforce of the future set to be trained by Redcar and Cleveland College

Redcar and Cleveland College is ready to take on the challenge of upskilling thousands of workers who will help heal the UK’s 27 million energy-inefficient homes.

The college was announced as the Tees Valley’s official Retrofit Academy CIC Hub training partner earlier this year – the only one in the whole of the Tees Valley area.

And that partnership will see retrofit courses rolled out that both upskill those already working in the trades and offer retraining opportunities for the unemployed.

It could also go become a key weapon in helping the government’s 2050 Net Zero targets as it is estimated up to 200,000 skilled green workers will be needed to reach those goals.

“Retrofit is the process of upgrading our existing homes to help make them more energy efficient,” said the college’s principal, Jason Faulkner.

“But with energy leaking from residential properties said to be accounting for up to 28% of the UK’s carbon emissions every year, there is a big job to be done when it comes to upgrading our homes.”

Pictured (l to r): Retrofit Academy CIC’s chief executive officer David Pierpoint, chief operating officer Jenny Pierpoint and Redcar and Cleveland College principal Jason Faulkner.

Retrofitting existing residential properties is key to reducing the country’s carbon footprint, as heat leaks through windows, doors and uninsulated walls, particularly in older properties.

The Retrofit Academy CIC, is a not-for-profit organisation working with local authorities and colleges across the UK to create partnerships that will train and develop 200,000 retrofitters by 2030.

And with Tees Valley’s only Retrofit Academy-accredited training provider opening this summer, Jason said: “This is the natural next step in Redcar and Cleveland College’s ongoing drive to deliver the skills for green careers.

“We are looking forward to bringing these opportunities to adult learners across the Tees Valley.”

The courses will help retrain and upskill retrofit co-ordinators and assessors, so they can identify areas for improvement in a home such as the need for insulation, solar panels and air source heat pumps.

Jason added: “The college has the added benefit, through its Clean Energy Education Hub, due for completion in the spring, to have the capacity to train the installers of these commodities.

“We already have approved Government-funded training boot camps for air source heat pump installation and solar PV installation for roofers.”

The Retrofit Academy CIC reckons that ultimately i will need to upskill a further 400,000 new entrants to the retrofit sector to hit the government’s 2050 Net Zero target.

The Retrofit Academy CIC’s chief executive officer, David Pierpoint, said: “Redcar and Cleveland College is a very welcome addition to our family of training hubs across the UK.

“They are forward-thinking and passionate about upskilling people for green jobs.

“They also share our commitment to providing high-quality educational provision in the vital area of housing retrofit.”